A systematic approach

The Circle of Learning

Make the most of your training

Today's healthcare institutions are faced with the same challenge: how to achieve more with less. Time and money are limited resources and at the same time, patient care and patient safety remain top priority.

The main challenge for healthcare personnel is to provide the best possible treatment. This can be best achieved by both learning and practice. For learning to be efficient, educational objectives must be clearly defined and training must have a measurable, positive impact on learners' clinical practice.

The Circle of Learning is a tool that can be used to help identify and prioritize teaching resources allowing you to focus on specific areas for improvement.

5 Steps to improve learning

The Circle of Learning

For learning to be most effective and efficient, clear learning objectives must be outlined. Within each of the five steps in the Circle of Learning, the objectives must be:

Observable

Measurable

Learner-centered

Action-oriented

1. Knowledge acquisition

Learners are introduced to the knowledge needed to meet their educational objectives using books, journals, and websites. Knowledge acquisition is reinforced through the process of self-assessment.

On-demand facilitators are available as a learning source or to administer assessments.

2. Skills proficiency

The mastery of skills is essential to providing the best treatment, whether working alone or in a team. After learning a defined skill, practice is necessary to maintain it. Repetitive practice using task trainers and manikins supports the development of psychomotor skills. Some skills can be learned individually by hands-on practice, but other skills, such as communication, should be learned by teams.

4. Simulation in teams

If you work as a team, you need to train as a team. Practicing simulation in teams allows learners to rehearse real world scenarios in their actual working environments with the aim of reducing medical errors. This type of training also allows learners to improve teamwork, communication, and leadership skills. Debriefing about both individual and team performance is essential to improvement.

5. Clinical experience

Learning by watching others is an important traditional educational method, however learning by doing is equally important. Cognitive and skill-based learning integrated with practice supports the competence development of healthcare providers.

Learning as a continuous process

The Circle of Learning can be used to plan and execute improvement programs where education and training are key. It should be viewed in the context of the whole, but each individual segment can be used on an as-needed basis to address specific needs.

The Circle of Learning serves as bridge between cognitive and skills-based learning with real-life clinical experience. It is beneficial not just for obtaining knowledge and skills, but also for developing the critical-thinking skills needed for competent healthcare providers. The Circle of Learning is about maintaining competence over time and, most importantly, continuous improvement.

How Laerdal can help

We can help you to evaluate your educational goals and create a customised solution to meet them. Using Laerdal's Circle of Learning method, you will be able to identify and to implement the most effective teaching strategies to meet your objectives.